17 For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.
~ 1 Peter 3:17-18
Today, we continue our study of 1 Peter 3 wherein the Apostle Peter has reminded us that sometimes it is God's will that we suffer for doing what is right. In writing this the Apostle draws our attention to the distinction between good and evil. That which is good or evil is what God has deemed them. And, as long as we consistently choose God's definitions of things, we should be safe from being defined by evil and we should be defined by God.
In v.17 of today's passage we read, "For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil."
God has a plan, and sometimes suffering is a part of that plan, even when we suffer for doing good or the right thing. There are examples of this throughout Scripture. Abel suffered after doing good. Joseph suffered without having done any wrong. He followed his father’s words, did what was proper, and suffered for it. It is axiomatic that we suffer in God’s plan. The only variable is whether we will accept the suffering as the will of God for us. Peter reminds us that it is better to suffer for "doing good" than for "doing evil." Undeserved suffering makes believers in Christ partners in the perpetuation of that which is good or righteous or true. And, when we do this we enter into Christ’s suffering.
The "If" in this verse is a wish. It was Peter’s wish that the Asia Minor Christians to whom he wrote this book would suffer for doing good. When we suffer for doing the right things, we uphold the right things in our lives and in our culture. When we do this and experience suffering, it is consistent with the "the will of God" for our lives.
Suffering plays a role in helping us to see the difference between good and evil. When we are able to make the distinction between good and evil, the battle to go in the way of God's culture becomes much easier. Our understanding of what is good or evil is crucial with regard to what we decide to invest in because no one wants to invest in the diabolical plans of evil. And, yet, when we feed the flesh by giving in to the lusts of the flesh, that is exactly what we do.
In v.18 of today's passage we read, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit."
The Apostle Peter begins this verse with the word "for" in order to explain why it is sometimes God's will for us to suffer for doing what is right. Then Peter makes the connection between the believer's suffering and that of Christ. Christ’s suffering was a vicarious act. He did not sin, and yet He was made sin for us. His point is: When we do the right thing and suffer, we reveal part of the reason the Lord Jesus Christ died for us who are unrighteous. He didn't deserve to die, but even in being treated unjustly, He triumphed over sin and death through His resurrection. He paid the debt that our sin created. The Lord Jesus suffered unjustly so that the truth would triumph in the end.
By trusting in the Lord Jesus' underserved death on the cross, God has "imputed" His righteousness to us, and our sin was transferred to Him at the cross. This began our personal relationship with God, enabling us to know and to live in His culture. Daily, when we choose good over evil, we factor in on the age long battle over evil and the one who brought evil into existence. The Lord Jesus ultimately died that horrific death, in order to purchase for all who would receive His free offer of forgiveness of sin. Of course, this is what unites us to God. When the Lord Jesus paid the penalty of our sin, we got back into the game. And now, we are learning that even our suffering factors in as a sentry in our souls in the process, always pointing us to our Savior and His ways if we let them.
